The definitive guide to writing an administrative assistant cover letter, with 3 admin assistant cover letter samples and everything you need to know to write a great cover letter for administration jobs. Preparing a cover letter for an administrative assistant job that makes a positive impact isn’t an easy task. How do you communicate your value to recruiters and make yourself stand out from the crowd in just one page? With an average of 118 people applying for each available job, your cover letter is your first, and possible only, chance to show recruiters why you’re the right person for the job. But don’t fret. This guide will show you exactly how to write a great cover letter for administrative assistant jobs. We’ll show you how to structure your admin assistant cover letter and present your skills, experiences and qualifications in the most effective way. This guide also includes a cover letter sample for entry level administrative assistants/administrative assistants with no work experience. How to Structure Your Administrative Assistant Cover Letter When writing a cover letter for a job, it’s always beneficial to use a specific structure. This will give you a roadmap to follow and ensure you sell yourself as effectively as possible. So feel free to follow CV Nation’s cover letter structure. 1. Introduction 2. Overview of Experience and Expertise 3. Key Selling Points 4. Why Us? 5. Key Skills 6. Ending and Call to Action Let’s take a look at these six steps in more detail. 1. Introduction Start your cover letter with a professional introduction, briefly explaining who you are and the position you are applying for. 2. Overview of Experience and Expertise Follow this with an outline of your experience and expertise, showing why you’re a good candidate for the job and how your experience aligns with the requirements of the job. Of course, for administrative assistants, this is where you can highlight your administrative experience. 3. Key Selling Points Focus on your key selling points and what makes you stand out. For example, have you been recognised for improving administrative processes? Have you got a reputation for reducing costs or improving efficiency in office environments? Identify your key selling points and ensure to highlight them in your cover letter. 4. Why Us? When writing a cover letter for admin assistant jobs, it’s important to do your research. This will enable you to tailor your cover letter to the company you’re applying to. Take a look at the administrative assistant cover letter templates in this guide. Note how research has allowed the cover letters to be tailored to the companies, resulting in unique, personal letters that make a connection with the reader. 5. Key Skills Draw attention to a number of your key skills. Provide examples of times you’ve used the skills to achieve success. Consider using bullet points to draw attention to your skills, and provide examples of times you have used your skills to achieve success. 6. Ending and Call to Action End your cover letter with a clear call to action. A call to action refers to the action you want the reader to take. When applying for jobs, your call to action will most likely ask the reader to get in touch with you regarding your job application. Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Example Skills for Administrative Assistant Cover Letters As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to showcase your key skills in your cover letter. Here, we list the five most sought-after skills for administrative assistants and explain how to show them on your cover letter. 1. Organisation Without good organisation, offices don’t operate efficiently. As such, it’s beneficial to highlight your organisation skills on your cover letter (if you do in fact possess good organisation skills, of course). How do you show your organisation skills on your cover letter? Touch on how you used your organisation skills to get results as an administrative assistant. For example, this may include restructuring a filing system or implementing new scheduling software. If you can show how your organisation skills led to positive outcomes, you’ll make a positive impact on recruiters. 2. Attention-to-Detail Administrative assistants perform a range of daily tasks that require a high level of accuracy, such as scheduling bookings, completing reports and making appointments. To ensure these tasks are completed accurately, attention-to-detail is essential. How you show your attention-to-detail on your cover letter? The way your cover letter is written, formatted and presented can indicate your level of attention-to-detail. If you submit your cover letter with typos, spelling errors and inconsistent formatting, recruiters may envision the writer to be someone who lacks attention-to-detail. So it’s important to ensure your cover letter is void of mistakes and professionally written. 3. Communication Admin assistants engage with many different people on a regular basis, including colleagues, internal departments, suppliers and other companies. To ensure the smooth-running of daily operations, administrative assistants should be comfortable communicating with people at all levels and from all backgrounds. How do you show your communication skills on your cover letter? As with attention-to-detail, the way your cover letter is written can speak a lot about your communication skills. When you’re writing a cover letter, you’re communicating with the reader. So ensure your cover letter is well-written and uses engaging language. 4. Problem-Solving Administrative Assistants are often the first point of call for problems. Whether it’s problems with schedules, incorrect paperwork or changes to events, admin assistants need to be ready to provide swift resolutions to arising problems. How do you show your problem-solving skills on your cover letter? The best way to highlight your problem-solving skills on your cover letter is to provide examples of times you have overcome problems and achieved positive results. 5. IT and Technology IT, technology and software play a big role in the daily work of an administrative assistant. In fact, the majority of tasks performed in offices are carried out via IT and technology. Specific technical requirements for admin assistants vary from job to job. Common requirements include Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word and internal systems. How do you show your IT and technology skills on your cover letter? Dedicate a few lines to explaining your technical/IT proficiency. Simply state which systems and software packages you’re adept with to show recruiters that you’re ready to jump straight into the job. Research Before writing your cover letter, ensure to research the company you’re applying to. By researching the company, you can tailor your cover letter to the job and show how you’re aligned with the company’s values and culture. This also shows that you genuinely care about working for the company, rather than bulk distributing cover letters to many different employers. Study the administrative assistant cover letter templates in this guide and note how research makes the letters personal and unique. How to Write an Administrative Assistant Cover Letter with No Experience If you’ve got no experience in administration, the key is to focus on your transferable skills and related experiences. For example, have you got experience corresponding with vendors over the telephone? Or have you carried out administrative tasks while organising groups at university? Try to identify such skills and experiences that are relevant to administration, and focus on them in your cover letter. If you’ve undertaken any administration-related work on a voluntary or free basis, highlight this on your cover letter to showcase your administrative experience. Here is an example of an administrative cover letter for someone with no experience: Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Example (No Experience) Further Tips for Your Administration Assistant Cover Letter How Should You Format Your Administrative Assistant Cover Letter for Emails? When sending your cover letter by email, the letter should be formatted slightly differently. The key difference is that you don’t need to include your address at the top of the letter as you do with hard copies of your cover letter. Instead, simply include your email address and contact number under your name at the end of your cover letter. Here is an example: ‘Your sincerely, Bob Smith Enc.: CV Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 123 4567 890 Furthermore, when sending cover letters by email, you should not insert your name at the top of the email, as you would in a document. Salutations If you know the name of the person who will be reading your cover letter, use the salutation ‘Dear [Name]. If you don’t know their name, use the salutation ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or 'Dear Recruitment Team'. Cover letters for those in Britain should end with ‘Yours sincerely’ if using ‘Dear Name’ or 'Dear Recruitment Team'. If you’re using ‘Dear Sir/Madam’, end your letter with ‘Yours faithfully’. In the United States, end your letter with either ‘Yours faithfully’ or ‘Yours truly’. State That Your CV is Enclosed If you’re submitting your cover letter alongside your CV, it’s appropriate to inform the reader that your CV is attached. Stating that your CV is enclosed couldn’t be easier. Simply insert ‘Enc.: CV’ under your name at the end of your cover letter. Word or PDF? When attaching or uploading your cover letter, should you use Word or PDF format? Attach your cover letter in PDF format. Unlike Word format, PDF maintains its shape on all devices, ensuring your cover letter doesn’t become unreadable. Administrative Assistant Cover Letter Example Hopefully you’ve found this administrative assistant cover letter guide helpful. For further help with your administrative assistant job search, view our guide to admin assistant job interviews. This guide includes 20 of the most common administrative assistant job interview questions and example answers. Don’t forget to ensure your CV is fine-tuned before you send off your applications. If you need help with your CV, check out our ultimate guide to writing a CV, which includes 27 CV templates.